Viewpoint

Greg Kozera

Did you ever wonder if you were too old to do something? I thought skiing was a young person’s sport until a ski trip to Colorado a few years ago. My daughter, Dannielle and I were skiing at Breckenridge. We took a break on top of the mountain for some hot chocolate and sat by a table full of old men. I wondered what they were doing. The only trails down were very difficult.

After some discussion we learned it was a reunion of the 10th Mountain Division from WWII. For training back then, they hiked up the mountain to ski down. The youngest man was 84 years old. The oldest was 94. They were still skiing the hard trails. Last year they said, two got hurt when they collided racing down the mountain. These WWII heroes taught me skiing isn’t about age it is about fitness and belief we can.

Some years ago, I was playing on West Virginia’s over-50 Veterans Cup Team when the national tournament was in Wrightsville Beach, N.C. It was July and blazing hot. We finished our match around 3 p.m. I was worn out. My buddy ran up, “Greg you have to watch the over-60 game with the team from Japan. The man in the silver shorts is 75. The one in the gold shorts is 82.” They weren’t as fast but still had their skills. I learned playing soccer into my 70s was possible.

Lynnda was flipping channels this week looking for something to watch. On the Disney Plus Channel she stumbled on a documentary about the life of U.S. Composer, John Williams. If you have no idea who he is, you have heard his music if you watch TV or been to a movie in the last 70+ years. Williams has been composing since the 1950s. He wrote the music for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Jaws and over 100 other films. He also wrote music for numerous TV shows and commercials. If you ever watched NBC Sunday Night Football, Williams wrote the theme song. He composed his first feature film music, Daddy-O in 1958. His first television music was for Bachelor Father in 1957. He wrote the music for the pilot episode of Gilligan’s Island in 1964. Williams plays the piano and brass. He felt he was a stronger composer than a musician and focused on that craft. When asked to conduct an orchestra on short notice he accepted and found he was good at it. He was the Boston Pops principal conductor from 1980 to 1993. John wasn’t afraid to try something new. Williams successfully revitalized the use of a full symphony orchestra in films. The powerful opening theme of Star Wars is a good example. John Williams is 94 years old and is still composing and conducting orchestras. What might we be capable of doing as we get older?

John Williams doesn’t look or sound like the typical 94-year-old. He narrated the documentary which contained interviews with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ron Howard and other film producers. Williams’ voice is strong. He still plays golf. Williams is the father of 3 children. Based on what his daughter said, John’s children had a childhood with pleasant memories of Christmas and growing up with the exception of the sudden loss of their actress mother, Barbara Ruick, to an aneurism at age 41 in 1974. Williams lost the love of his life and was suddenly a single father to 3 teenagers. He was able to move forward successfully raising his children and in 1977 wrote his most famous piece, the opening theme of the movie Star Wars.

It was easy to see in the video, Williams loves music and spent many hours composing. Composing music makes him happy. He spent many hours composing and ultimately got paid well for his work. I was told once by a wise mentor, “Find a career you love and you will never work a day in your life.”

The John Williams documentary gave me hope. At 94 years old John is happy, healthy, active, productive and positive. He is still making a positive difference. My grandfather and cousins worked in the Pittsburgh steel mills. They hated going to work. It was not fun. It was work. They worked to earn a living to feed their families and make the house payment. By the time they were in their fifties my uncles were broken and worn out. Their health was poor. Williams did the preparation for a career he loves and has been doing for over 70 years. As career type jobs return to our region, people will get to choose a career they must prepare for and hopefully love or they can find a job they may or may not like that pays the bills.

Everything we do starts with how we think and our beliefs. If we think we can’t we won’t. If we believe we can, we have a chance. I see this in my high school coaching. The first of now eight state championships was won by “A bunch of screwballs” as their parents called them in August. The parents did not know how bad the boys wanted to win the state championship and how hard they worked at the YMCA during the off season. The boys believed they would win the state championship and did the work. Teams that follow now know it is possible.

The Easter season is a time of faith and victory. In the New Testament people are asked “Do you believe” before they are healed. During my cancer treatment years ago, I noticed those with a positive attitude got better. I could see a weekly decline of the others. Do you believe in your future? Do you expect to succeed? John Williams, the 10th Mountain Division and Japanese soccer players showed age is only a number. My high school players taught me how to dream again. Decide what you want and believe.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com is director of marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and many published articles.